Vegan Irish Vegetable Stew

Hearty and comforting Vegan Irish Vegetable Stew is healthy, nutritious and full of veggie goodness. Root vegetables are the highlight of this stew while brown rice adds texture and bulkiness.

The Vegan Irish Vegetable Stew is a family favorite that I make around St. Patrick’s Day every year. In the spirt of St. Patrick’s Day coming up in a few weeks, I figured that it would be the perfect time to share the recipe with you!

The bulk of this stew is a variety of different root vegetables. I like to use a mixture of carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips, and potatoes. If you aren’t sure about using the less popular rutabagas and turnips, try them in this stew. I think you’ll be surprised by how much flavor they have.

In the original recipe, I used pearled barely in the stew. For this version, I wanted for it to be gluten-free so I looked for a different grain that would still add the chewy texture and bulkiness to the stew. Short grain brown rice was the perfect option for a the gluten-free option. It might not be very traditional, but the brown rice adds a really nice texture and chewiness. The flavor of the brown rice lets the flavors of the root vegetable really shine, making them the star of this recipe. My favorite brand of short grain brown rice is Lundberg.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a healthy & nutritious root vegetable stew with brown rice.

Author: Jeni Hernandez

Recipe type: Stew

Cuisine: Irish; Vegan

Serves: 4- 6 servings

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Leek cleaned, white and pale green parts sliced

1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced

1 Cup Carrots, peeled and diced

1 Cup Celery, diced

1½ lbs White Potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 lb Parsnips, peeled and chopped

1 lb Rutabaga {1 large sized}, peeled and chopped

¾ lb {1 medium sized} Turnip, peeled and chopped

½ Cup Parsley, chopped

3-5 Fresh Thyme Springs, tied together with kitchen twine

4 Cups Vegetable Broth {or water is fine}

2 Cups Water, plus more if needed

1 Bay Leaf

1½ Tsp Sea Salt, or to taste

¼ Tsp Black Pepper

1 Cup Short Grain Brown Rice

Instructions

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and onion, cook until soften and translucent, bout 8-10 minutes. Stirring every now and then.

Add in the diced carrots and celery, give everything a stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the parsley and thyme springs. Stir. Add in the reminding vegetables, stirring the mixture making sure to coat all the veggies with the olive oil.

Pour in the vegetable broth, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and brown rice. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender and the rice is cooked and the stew has thickened.

Taste for salt and pepper. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

The stew will continue to thicken as it sits. If it thickens up too much, add a splash of water or vegetable broth to loosen up the stew.